Bus bombing revives fears in Tel Aviv

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TEL AVIV, Israel A blast, a plume of smoke, the smell of gunpowder and a blown-up bus – scenes that had begun to fade from the collective Israeli memory came back in sharp relief Wednesday, along with a renewed sense of vulnerability, when a bomb exploded on a passenger bus just after midday, injuring more than 20 people in the heart of Tel Aviv.

The residents of this Mediterranean city have often been derided by other Israelis for existing in a “bubble” of beaches, fashionable restaurants and bars. But that sense of isolation faded as the city suffered its first terrorist bombing in years.

Even as Israeli and Palestinian officials announced a cease-fire Wednesday, halting eight days of Hamas rocket attacks and Israeli airstrikes, the cross-border conflict extended its physical and psychological reach.

Nobody was killed in the bus bombing, although health officials at the nearby Ichilov Hospital said 21 people were treated for injuries, including two teenagers in more serious condition and the rest with moderate or light injuries.

“This was a lucky one,” said Dr. Pinchas Halperin, who runs the hospital's emergency room.

Police said a man had apparently boarded the bus, placed the bomb in a bag under a seat and disembarked shortly before it exploded.

Helicopters circled for hours after the blast, and police set up roadblocks as they hunted for the perpetrator, whom they suspected might have come from the West Bank.

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